CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Joaquin Castro

Interview

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BLITZER: Very interesting.

All right, Phil Mattingly, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas. He's a Democratic member of the Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

Let's get to the White House counsel. He says that the demands by your colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee are -- quote -- "outside of the constitutional authority of the legislative branch of the U.S. government."

How do you respond to that?

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): Yes, that's not the case at all.

Congress has a right to conduct oversight and to investigate these matters. And what you have is an administration that's stonewalling in every single way that it can. And Jerry Nadler is right that the president is trying to act like a king, as though nobody can investigate anything that his administration does.

And, ultimately, the Congress is going to have to go to court, the House of Representatives is going to have to go to court, probably, to enforce these subpoenas.

[18:10:02]

BLITZER: Do you support the Judiciary Committee chairman, Nadler's threat to fine people for not complying with their subpoenas, even the attorney general, up to the attorney general, Bill Barr?

CASTRO: Well, yes, I think that it's important that we have been negotiating, trying to get them to come in and testify and so forth.

But if they absolutely refuse, when they know that they should be coming in, then, yes, I think they should be fined.

BLITZER: You're on the Intelligence Committee.

The chairman, Adam Schiff, has requested specific information from the Justice Department on the so-called counterintelligence portion of the Mueller investigation. The Intelligence Committee's interested in that. What does that effort -- where does that effort stand, as far as you know?

CASTRO: As far as I know -- I haven't heard anything since this morning, but I don't think the Department of Justice has responded.

This is another instance where they basically are trying to shut out Congress completely, and I think we're in the same situation, where a committee has asked for something that it has a right to see, and the executive branch has basically said, you're not going to see it. So I think we're going to end up in court.

BLITZER: Another battle unfolding there.

Meanwhile, we're getting the first details of Jared Kushner's immigration plan. They're selling this as a shift toward what they call merit-based immigration, with a focus on border security. But the plan does not address the DACA program.

Could this at least be, from your perspective, Congressman, a starting point for some bipartisan negotiations down the road?

CASTRO: Well, look, I think it's productive that the White House is actually taking a stab at coming up with something and presenting it to legislators. I do think that's a good thing.

But, by all accounts so far, even the Republican senators are not taking this proposal seriously. So it's hard to imagine that many of my colleagues, either Republicans or Democrats in the House, would take it seriously, if Mitch McConnell and his folks aren't taking it seriously to begin with.

BLITZER: Let me get your reaction, while I have you, to the messaging we're hearing from the Trump administration on the threat from Iran.

In the last hour, I spoke with Senator Bob Menendez. He's the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He's warning of what he calls another Iraq weapons of mass destruction moment, potentially. Do you share his fears?

CASTRO: Yes, I'm very concerned.

I'm concerned that the president and/or people in his administration are leading the United States toward war. And I'm concerned that somebody over there is either bending or interpreting the intelligence to take us closer to war with Iran.

I said about a week ago that I felt, based on everything that I have seen, that the administration was getting ready or laying the groundwork for two wars, potentially, one in Venezuela and the second one in Iran. And I still believe that now.

BLITZER: We're getting some breaking news, Congressman.

The governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, has just signed into law the abortion ban that was passed by the legislature in her state that banned -- that would ban abortion basically completely, with no exceptions for rape or incest. This was designed clearly to challenge Roe v. Wade.

Do you see it as a real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court soon potentially could overturn Roe v. Wade?

CASTRO: Well, I think that it was a horrendous law that was passed in Alabama. It was 25 guys who ended up voting in support of this law.

And I think it's unconstitutional. And if the Supreme Court -- to answer your question, if the Supreme Court upholds precedent, as they should, then they will strike it down.

BLITZER: Here's what she tweeted, Kay Ivey, just moments ago: "Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act. To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God."

Do you want to respond to the governor?

CASTRO: Well, you know, I just -- I don't understand, Wolf, how somebody makes that statement that every life is precious, when these are the same people that are OK putting young kids in cages and separating babies from their mothers.

How is it that you believe that every life is precious, when you're OK with the president doing that?

BLITZER: Congressman Joaquin Castro, thanks so much for joining us.

CASTRO: Thank you.

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